How to Make Homeschooling Fun
No matter what homeschool style you choose, there may be days or even weeks where monotony creeps up on you. Before you completely overhaul your routine or change your curriculum, try these tips to reignite your homeschooling spark. Treating your student to something new, unexpected, or out of the box may be all that they need to get excited about homeschool again.
8 Fun Homeschool Activities to Try
In this article, we’ve come up with a list of several things you can do to spice up your homeschool routine and keep things exciting for your students! From science experiments and field trips to cooking and making forts, here are plenty of ideas to get you started.
1. Take a field trip
Taking a field trip once a month can give both you and your students something to look forward to and can mix up your routine! Field trips are important to help children connect their learning with the real world. Whether you go to the planetarium or the Grand Canyon, there are so many different field trips you can take, both in-person and virtual. Check out our list of homeschool field trip ideas with free virtual options for more fun family outings!
2. Go outside
Incorporating outside time into your routine can help your students expend some energy and give their brains a break! Whether you go on a guided nature walk or have unstructured playground time, getting some fresh air can be both refreshing and exciting. If it’s a beautiful day, you might study in the backyard or your local park. Making time for the outdoors daily might also help your students refocus when they come back from “recess”.
3. Do a craft or science experiment
Many homeschool families have the freedom to do hands-on activities anytime! Crafts and science experiments can help young children develop fine motor skills and help older children relax and reconnect with the material as they work with their hands. There are so many crafts to choose from, not to mention science experiments! We’ve listed some of our favorites below:
- Make a recycled materials sculpture
- Learn about density of liquids with a homemade lava lamp
- Start your own seeds in a sunny window
- Trace your student’s body with sidewalk chalk and let them draw and label their bones and organs
- Do seasonal crafts, such as painting a pumpkin or making paper snowflakes
- Create a diorama or a foam board presentation about what you’re learning
- Make your own musical instruments with household items
- Create an animal cell model using a foam sphere
For more fun homeschool activities, find us on TikTok and Instagram!
4. Have a movie day
With so many high-quality documentaries available now, it’s easy to find educational movies on any type of topic! In addition, it’s always fun to watch the movie after finishing a book and compare the differences. You can choose your own movies to go with your curriculum or let your children choose something new to learn about.
5. Create a homeschool newspaper or yearbook
If your students like to write or take pictures, then creating a homeschool newspaper or yearbook can be a fun activity to break up learning time. It can also be a nice way to look back and remember all the time you spent learning together! Students can create silly job postings, write about what they’re learning, make up fun fake news stories, and “publish” their photos in a newspaper or make a digital scrapbook with photos of their favorite memories! You can even have your yearbook actually published with photo book services such as CVS Photo and Shutterfly.
6. Change your environment
If your students have a routine and set environment for learning, try mixing that up. They can wear their old Halloween costume, dress up as their favorite book character, or have a pajama day or crazy hair day! If you always homeschool at the kitchen table or in your classroom area, move learning to the porch, the stairs, or even the trampoline.
7. Learn with food
Who doesn’t love a snack break? Learning in the kitchen can apply to many different topics, from science to math, reading, and more! You can bake treats to learn about chemical reactions, use berries or chocolate chips as math manipulatives, and practice reading comprehension, measurement, and even fractions by following simple recipes together. In addition, your child can learn valuable life skills such as food preparation and safety when you cook together.
8. Get creative
Giving your kids’ imaginations some exercise can reveal brand new learning opportunities! Here are some ways you can get creative when homeschooling:
- Try roleplaying as different historical figures or book characters
- Let your student be the teacher for the day, and “teach” you what they know
- Have your student create their own country, from currency to culture and holidays
- Hold a mock election or job interview
Have your students create their own brand new board game and play it together - Teach using a puppet show, or let your students throw one for you
- Create a scavenger hunt by hiding clues around the house
Make Learning Fun with Miacademy
When you homeschool with Miacademy, there’s always something new to discover! Explore thousands of lessons and activities covering various topics, from core courses to electives. All memberships include powerful parent tools, a full curriculum, and secure Community features— everything you need to keep your students on track!
Got questions about how Miacademy or MiaPrep can help with your homeschooling? Reach out to our friendly customer service team! They’re here to answer any questions you may have.